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| Legends of America Newsletter - May 2019 |
| | | In case you can't read that, it says "On this site in 1897 Nothing Happened". It was a gift for Kathy's 50th Birthday back in 2009 from a good friend and now sits in the walkway in front of my cabin office. I chuckled at first, but then began to ponder, what if something "historic" did happen here? We are right on the Osage River, lots of historic happenings in and around Warsaw. What if there was simply no one there to preserve this "spots" history?
I can't imagine the amount of history we have lost in the U.S. throughout the years. Fires, floods, tornados.."progress"...many historic places didn't make it. Luckily, in 1966, Congress passed the National Historic Preservation Act, and now the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places coordinates and supports public and private efforts to protect our historic and archeological resources.
You'll see evidence of that effort from coast to coast in places like Newport Rhode Island, Grand Gulf Military Park in Mississippi, the ghost town of Mogollon in New Mexico and hundreds more. And it's not just entire districts, but also homes and other worthwhile historic places. |
| | America's Mother Road has had its own preservation effort, with the Route 66 Corridor Historic Preservation Act of 1999. But the grant program that has helped preserve many of the historic stops, signage and more, is sunsetting next year. Efforts are underway in Congress that would establish the iconic highway as a National Historic Trail, and although bills are in the Senate and House, nothing has been passed yet.
May is National Historic Preservation Month. When you visit these historic places that have benefited from this program, know that a lot of caring people and organizations were behind the effort so that you and your family could enjoy and learn. We salute all who preserve America's past and show the social and economic benefits of saving our historic places. It's an important task that we need to honor and keep.
Who knows, maybe a hundred years from now someone will ponder over my cabin sign like me.
Dave "daydreaming about life on the Osage" Alexander |
| | Thank you Texas Jack, sponsor of this months newsletter
We are outfitters of the wild old west, heirs to a proud frontier tradition, with headquarters located deep in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. We cater to the cowboy trade and to folks all around the world who identify with the vitality and romance of our American Western heritage.
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| | | What's New on LOA
Here are the latest additions since our last newsletter |
| Doniphan, Kansas – River Ghost Town – Doniphan, Kansas is a ghost town located in southeast Doniphan County along the Missouri River. This muddy river would also be the cause of its demise.
Huron, Kansas Ghost Town – Huron, Kansas, located in Atchison County, got its start as a railroad town in 1882. Though it still has a small population, it is a ghost town today.
Parkerville, Kansas – Prairie Ghost Town – Parkerville, Kansas is a semi-ghost town located on the Neosho River about 12 miles northwest of Council Grove. It was built as a railroad town
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| | Toyah, Texas – Dying Along the Railroad – Toyah, Texas, the oldest town in Reeves County, was once a railroad hub. Today, it is a sparsely populated ghost town with numerous abandoned buildings.
Acala, Texas – Desert Ghost Town – Acala, Texas is a ghost town located in the lower El Paso Valley of the Rio Grande in Hudspeth County. Roosevelt, Texas – Hill Country Ghost Town – Roosevelt, Texas, a ghost town in Kimble County, was established in 1898 and named for Theodore Roosevelt.
Pumpville, Texas – Railroad Ghost Town – Pumpville, Texas is a ghost town located between Langtry and Dryden in Val Verde County. Spanish Missions in Texas – The Spanish Missions in Texas are religious outposts established by Spanish priests and colonial authorities to spread the Catholic doctrine among Natives.Presidio de San Saba, Menard, Texas – The Presidio of San Saba, located one mile west of Menard, Texas, was founded in April 1757 to convert the Lipan Apache Indians to Christianity.Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, Texas – Lake Meredith National Recreation Area in Hutchinson County, Texas lies within windswept high plains of the Canadian River region of the Texas Panhandle.Charles Askins – Gunfighter Legend – Charles Askins was an American lawman, U.S. Army officer, and writer known for his skills as a gunman and work in the American Border Patrol. (Article submitted by Concealment Express) |
| | | | | Flavors of the Mother Road
From the Ariston Cafe in Illinois to Roy’s Cafe in California, travelers along America’s Mother Road were treated to some mighty fine cooking along the way.
Route 66 enthusiasts to this day still enjoy some of that same hometown cooking as they revisit this important roadway. We thought it would be good to share just a few of those delectables here in our Route 66 pages.
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| | | | | Evolution of National Cemeteries & Memorial Day
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| | Recognized today as a national holiday to honor all Americans who have died while in military service, this holiday started as “Decoration Day”. Its origins can be traced back to as early as June of 1861 where a claim is made that Civil War soldiers graves were decorated in Warrenton, Virginia. There is also documentation showing women in Savannah Georgia decorating Confederate graves in 1862. Boalsburg, Pennsylvania claims to be the birthplace of Memorial Day due to women decorating soldiers graves on July 4, 1864, at the National Cemetery in Gettysburg. |
| | | Leavenworth - First City in Kansas |
| | The City of Leavenworth was founded in 1854 largely to support Fort Leavenworth but quickly became the springboard to the west. The settlement was the first official town in Kansas. |
| | | | | | Popular on Facebook
In case you missed them..here are some articles that have received the most interaction on our Facebook fan pages over the past month.
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| | Carneiro Kansas - A Tidy Little Ghost Town - Carneiro is a ghost town in Ellsworth County, Kansas that got its start as a stop on the Smoky Hill Trail. |
| | | Powhatan Tribe - Dominating Virginia in History - When European settlers arrived in the Chesapeake Bay, the region was occupied by approximately 14,000-21,000 Powhatan Indians, concentrated in some 200 villages. |
| | | Calamity Jane - Rowdy Woman of the West - Born in Missouri on May 1, 1852, Martha Jane Cannary would make a name for herself in the west and may have been only second to Wild Bill Hickok in exaggerating her exploits. |
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| What Our Readers are saying:
Every September, local historians walk the battle site at the Battle of Punished Woman Fork near Scott City. They call the annual event, Walking with the Spirits and tell the history of the last Indian Battle in Kansas but have hair raising tales of the spirits that seem to still dwell there. Many Cheyenne has come to help the spirits move on during times of blessing and healing. It is a serene place that feels occupied by unseen guardians. - Stephanie (ref: Battle of Punished Woman Fork, Kansas)
Drunkard hell. Trying it out on harmonica. Never heard it before. Lol guess I am the first here to sing and hear of it. Guitar player went on his own. I just played it. - Stanotter (Ref: Cowboy Songs & Frontier Ballads)
Here’s one bandied about at Bodie: “601” – concerning dealing w/ bad dudes, “Six feet, No judge, One rope” Sherry (Ref: Western Slang, Lingo and Phrases)
Computer photo analysis has shown that Anne Bassett and Etta Place were almost certainly the same person. I knew it when I compared their photos with my naked eye. James (Ref: Anne Bassett - Riding with the Wild Bunch)
I grew up on a farm near Penalosa, a little town Northwest of Kingman. I went to a 3 room grade school there in the 1950’s. The school and the old post office are still standing but are in rough shape. I appreciate your documentation of the old forgotten places. Keep it up. Joe -(Ref: Emerging Ghost Towns of the Plains)or comment on any of our articles. |
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